Increase the 218 character filename length limit to open files in excel
Excel can't open files with full path lengths greater than 218 characters as documented in https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/213983. This is still a problem in Office 2016. It seems crazy that Excel can't open a valid file that the filesystem allows. People have been complaining about this since Office 2000. The thread below has over 11 thousand views and there are plenty others. Please fix this. http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office_2013_release-excel/sorry-unable-to-find/595333d0-1463-499f-967e-4da8ac2e2047
Anonymous
shared this idea
Thank you for your input on Excel’s filepath limit! We have included this feature as part of upcoming work.
David [Microsoft Excel]
179 comments
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Mikelis
commented
Reducing the length and using abbreviations is a workaround, fix can only come from Microsoft, I think that is clear to every one. Best you can do is share this problem in social media, to build awareness of Microsoft's incapability
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Andy Hodges
commented
Although its a proper pain with user education and some tidy up of folder upon folder upon folder scenario, millions of files can be stored in SharePoint. It just requires some re-organisation which moving to SharePoint should provide a good opportunity. Don't have one document library or site etc and that gives more room in the URL. I think one of the problems with this issue is it is often found too late and users then have to change their behaviour which they never like doing. But again - please provide an update on when this will be fixed.
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Anonymous
commented
Reducing the length and using abbreviations is not a fix but a workaround. That workaround will never work for a large organisation with millions of files. It's inexcusable for Microsoft not to consider this before encouraging organisations to migrate their data.
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Mikelis
commented
We reduced length of all our group names by using abbreviations and just had to reorganize some folders to lower number of levels / folders in folders.
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Radesh
commented
Has anyone found a fix yet for the long file /path issue on Excel
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kevin Meagher
commented
I was able to read and write these excel files in Windows 7. After the corporate upgrade to Windows 10, the path is too long now. One of the reasons I switched to Linux at home. Please fix this issue.
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Anonymous
commented
Microsoft, please, stop updating office with features nobody need nor want, stop losing time makeuping your applications with colors or hiding the most basic and powerful and imprescindible features. Microsoft, please stop ******* your customers for one time, and please.... please... bring office to XXI century and repair office to meet the requirements of onedrive, sharepoint etc. updating the infamous 218 limit. My Ceo asks Why we need intel i9 4ghz, 16gb of ram, ssd of 1tb just for not could open a simple Excel ?
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Anonymous
commented
Fix it, please
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Olivier Guerrero
commented
Really annoying. We'll really appreciate when it will be fix
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Jan
commented
This 218 char limit is giving both our IT and especially Microsoft a really bad name, so please fix this. Or at least fix the error message so people know what's going wrong. And please mention this on the product roadmap if it's indeed 'included as part of upcoming work'. Thanks!
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Claude Giguère
commented
We need this because now our files are in cloud instead on local server so the filepath is longer.
Thanks.
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Mary Timmons - TAM
commented
Hello David, Is this on the product roadmap yet? I didn't see it listed.
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aouat
commented
Fix it please ..
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Nikhil Kundra
commented
Why is there even a character limit on the path? To open an Excel file, I need to be short and curt with my encompassing folder and directory names? Why does no other file have this issue or strange dependency?
Hoping you get rid of this as it ends up causing Excel files from Dropbox to silently fail when opening. This is such an inconvenient issue.
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Dominick La Pola
commented
Please fix this - with Server 2016 now allowing paths of 1024 characters, this is even worse than it was before
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Anonymous
commented
Having the same issue after we upgraded staff to a new SharePoint, when will this be fixed. Users having to download the file to local systems and then upload when finished. Causing issues with multiply copies of the file on different users system.
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Anonymous
commented
We really need this working ASAP
@David what is the ETA for this new feature? -
Anonymous
commented
Yes this is make me crazy!!! User can not access their file. In my office i use file sharing using network drives. and in our policy user does not have permission to mapping drives. and path long 285 character. Please excel fixed this issue!!!
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Anonymous
commented
y'all not alone, i almost got strangled by the angry staff in Brazil. When Microsoft should be the one at the receiving end.
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Anonymous
commented
I just migrated my company to use Teams and SharePoint instead of some staff-created Slack and Google Drive accounts so that we would actually have control of the content. Now I look like an idiot because the owners are mad that they can't use their usual 80 character file name so that they know what the file is without opening it, and staff don't understand why they can't save their Office documents 5 folders deep in the same structure they were using before; a structure that there is no feasible way to change.
It is absolutely incredible that they are pushing these solutions and that, of all things, the length of a file name is still a problem in 2019.